501 Places

As I sit in my garden in sunny St Albans, with the temperature soaring past 30C, the thought of going to Mallorca is not particularly enticing. Although as I look for some shade and a place to cool off, maybe it does deserve a closer look. After all, the only time we have been there, we had to deal with snow, not blazing sunshine.

My one visit to Mallorca was a very pleasant one – Boxing Day 2004 (tsunami day) and we left Liverpool airport after a long delay due to snow. With a few days off before the New Year, it was a chance to do some decent hiking in conditions that should be perfect – not too warm, not too cold. And it is a beautiful island. To those who would not venture there for its image of drunken streets polluted by the best of British, of fish and chip shops, big breakfasts and umpteen Irish bars, I would reassure them that most of this rugged and varied island is made up of beautiful coastline, quaint villages and very friendly people. You can easily lose yourself in the open spaces of northern Mallorca (although you might bump into local residents Michael Douglas and CZJ), with some energetic walking in the hills near Valldemossa or the coast around Puerto de Soller. We enjoyed a few good hikes in this area, and especially loved the seafood at the end of our toils. It even got quite warm at some points!

The culinary highlight was without doubt the local hot chocolate – liquid chocolate in a cup, or as good as. Devine! (as with so many things, we bought the drink to have at home, and of course it didn’t taste anything like the same – why is that?) Every evening we sat in a cafe in the centre of Soller, around 15 minutes walk from our guest house, and enjoyed this liquid magic. Not exactly the ideal drink to wash down a copious plate of pasta or a dish of lamb, but what the hell – it’s a holiday after all.

As for the snow – we passed it on our way up to the Lluc monastery. It was a treat to have an impromptu snowball fight in Mallorca!

(Dec 2004)

It’s hard to beat the multi-coloured beauty of an African sunset. The sky seems bigger, the hue of the reds and oranges more expressive, the clouds more dreamy. And the sounds of the plains around us while watching the sun dip below the horizon leave you in no doubt where you are.

We stayed in Sabi Sands Reserve at Elephant Plains Lodge. Safaris are not cheap, and I suspect whenever tourists make the investment of going to a lodge for a few days, at the back of your mind there is always that thought that maybe you won’t see anything. We were certainly spoiled for game viewing. Countless leopards and lions, elephants and rhino on most days, a pack of wild dogs (a very rare sighting), and buffalo and giraffe on numerous occasions. By our fifth and final day we had become spoilt and almost expected the animals to be waiting for us! But our tracker told us we had been exceptionally lucky.

The safari experience is something special, and nowadays can be as basic or as luxurious as your taste, and budget, allows. Whatever animals you do see, the enduring images of African nature will ensure a memorable trip. Soon after the red sunset the stars come out, and the sky is awash with a thousand million bright specks the like of which us urban dwellers can never see at home. One way or another, Africa is bound to touch you and leave you wanting to return.

(Apr 2006)

I can’t remember if it took us three days or four (it was a while ago now). I do know that for each of the days, we were treated to views that took our breath away and more than compensated for the aching limbs we were accumulating along with our miles.

Stretching across the Southern Alps, the Routeburn Track is often listed as one of the world’s greatest hikes. Pristine alpine lakes, snowy peaks and wonderful isolation reward the visitor along the route, and perfectly civilised rest places provide overnight stops that allow you to rebuild those energy reserves for the next day’s toil.

We set off with a group from Queenstown, and were one of a few non-Japanese in our hiking party. On day one the group remained quite segregated, with few of the Japanese speaking any English and so our communications were restricted to the European and American contingent. Mealtimes however provided for a sharing of food and stories (with a lot of translation help from the Japanese guide) and by the time our Japanese walkers were laughing at our curious practice of putting sugar, or even jam, on our porridge instead of salt, we had made friends and were a large happy group.

The next evening was filled with shared stories, jokes and stories of life at home and work, and our previously non-existant Japanese vocabulary was expanding rapidly. We could now say “after you, please” along with many greetings and expressions of respect and thanks. As the beautiful vistas kept us inspired to keep up the climbing (along with chocolate supplies that were shared out among the group) the trip passed by all too quickly, and we were back in Queenstown before we could say arrigato gezaimas.

This was a trek that lived up to its reputation, and the company we fell into made the days on the hike pleasant as well as memorable. And we had good weather – which is apparently a miracle in those parts!

(Jan 2001)

I am sitting at home in St Albans tonight watching the lightning and hearing the crashes of thunder that have been dominating the summer evening here for the last three hours. I love thunder and lightning, and am mesmerised by the sight of an electrical storm.

My mind went back to the best storm we ever witnessed. While living in New York, we woke one night to a tremendous thunderclap. Looking out of our window we saw lightning forks crack over the city skyline at a rate of 5 or 6 a minute. One moment the city was dark, save for a few remaining lights. Next a flash of light and for a moment the buildings came into view and it was daytime. The thunder came in such regular waves that the sounds almost merged into one constant rumble. We sat by our window for nearly 3 hours watching and listening as the city experienced the biggest storm of the year.

I tried to capture a lightning strike, and failed miserably. This was my best attempt – the lightning is there, but is blurred. I have a video clip also on my YouTube channel. I will one day get the perfect lightning photo! In the meantime, if anyone has a good storm picture they have taken, do please send it in and I will add it here with a link to your site.

(May 2004)

Walk down the main pedestrian streets in BA, and you won’t go far before you see a tango troupe. Usually a couple of guys and a girl, and they carry an old stereo. Without warning, the music starts, and a couple take to the floor. You will see countless such displays in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina’s lively capital and a place where it’s very easy to believe you’re still in Europe. The architecture, the shops and the temperature could easily be Madrid or Barcelona. Yet this is certainly Argentina, and it is one of my favourite cities.

A stroll through any of the city’s central areas will provide you with a unique experience. San Telmo with its bohemian antique-filled streets; La Boca with the colourful houses and ubiquitous dancers; and Puerto Madero with its stunning modern buildings and flashy marina. Many people stopped to talk, there is a welcome for visitors that other countries only offer in less populated areas. And the food (and especially the ice cream!) were top quality and very cheap. Having been brought up on British beef, I would not have recognised what was put on my plate as steak. The meat melted in the mouth, was so full of flavour, and had a perfect texture. Was this really beef??

A great city to hang out for a few days, and some decent day trips nearby make this a great base for a South America trip. Just don’t forget the dancing shoes!

(Apr 2007)